Tasting Notes for Kalleske Merchant Cabernet Sauvignon from the Winery 

In 1838, merchant and miller, Johann Georg Kalleske migrated from Prussia, establishing a new life in South Australia. Today, seven generations later, descendant and fellow merchant and miller, Kym John Kalleske, farms our diverse Kalleske property established at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa in 1853. Continuing the family tradition, Kym is a miller of hay and a merchant of chaff, lamb and grapes.

This Merchant Cabernet Sauvignon is a single vineyard wine that’s been hand pruned and harvested by Kym. Traditional winemaking and maturation in new and seasoned French oak hogsheads has ensured a full-bodied varietal Cabernet Sauvignon displaying classic structure and richness typical of the Kalleske vineyard

Tasting Notes

Colour: 2023 Merchant Cabernet is medium purple red in colour.

Aroma: Initially coy, it soon reveals an array of aromatics including cherry, violet, baking spice, black olive, rusty steel, cedar, tobacco and a hint of tomato

Palate: The medium-full bodied palate is alive with juicy red and blue fruits. Tannins are prominent but extremely fine grained, giving a neat backbone to carry the line of bright fruit purity. Balanced acidity supports the composite of flavours, lending elegance and restraint. Classy subtle oak is evident, adding further depth. Expressive and long in the finish, overall, a well-formed wine.

Recommended Drinking: Merchant is a classic Barossa Cabernet that can be equally enjoyed now or in a decade.

Growing Season 

Vintage 2023 has produced exceptional wines.  It was the longest and latest on record, stretching from mid-March to early-May.  The vines got off to a superb start with a wet and cool Spring providing plenty of sub-soil moisture for the growing season ahead. Summer brought typically average temperatures and was generally dry with occasional finite rain.  The vines were in fantastic condition for slow and steady ripening into Autumn with its mild days, cool nights, and isolated light rain.  Yields from 2023 are good and quality is excellent.

Vineyard

Merchant Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a single vineyard that was planted on the Kalleske property at the end of last century. The hand-pruned vines are low-yielding and are grown in shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay, providing ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked over a week on April 28th and May 3rd.  Following destemming into an open-top fermenter, the musts were fermented for 12 days on skins with hand pump-overs twice a day.  After pressing off skins the Cabernet was filled to a mix of one third new and the balance used French oak hogsheads, where the wine underwent natural malolactic fermentation.  The Cabernet was matured in barrel for a year prior to bottling.

(SKU: KA_CAB_CV)